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Annual Report 2005

The Revolution is Coming

Colonial Williamsburg's guests gathered in Virginia's restored 18th-century capital throughout the weekend of September 16-18 for the Foundation's inaugural storytelling festival, Spinning Stories/Spanning Time: A Weekend of Stories Old and New. In addition to eight nationally acclaimed storytellers, Colonial Williamsburg storytellers, including Art Johnson, shared tales.

TWO THOUSAND FIVE was a year of challenge and innovation. With colleagues from across Colonial Williamsburg, Historic Area staff prepared for the 2006 launch of the Revolutionary City—a daily two-hour dramatic presentation that underscores Williamsburg's role in the colonies' struggle for independence. The Revolutionary City aims to engage guests in activities that emphasize how citizen participation was, and remains, crucial to the success of America's democratic experiment. The new program portrays the years 1774–1781.

The coach and livestock department prepared to debut a reproduction of a coach used by Virginia's last royal governor. Built in Austria, the coach is a gift from James and Maureen Gorman of Cumberland Foreside, Maine. Its ornate brass fittings were fabricated by the Geddy Foundry, and the paint shop applied the coat of arms.

Research and collections staff helped develop presentation venues for Colonial Williamsburg's Education for Citizenship initiative. An Apprentice Tour designed to appeal especially to families and children joined the program roster. Colonial Williamsburg's first Storytelling Festival captivated guests with tales from nationally renowned storytellers.

Gifts from an anonymous donor and Patricia C. and J. Walter Arnells supported new apprenticeships in blacksmithing, cabinetmaking, and weaving, ensuring that the arts and intricacies of 18th-century craftsmanship will be preserved.

The Revolution is coming again to Williamsburg. The Historic Area, where pivotal events occurred more than two centuries ago, provides the setting. The streets will buzz with the excitement, uncertainty, and peril of war. Guests will look into the lives of the town's residents, encountering people enslaved and free, urban and rural, discovering how they transformed themselves from British subjects to American citizens—and discover what that means for citizens of the 21st century.